The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 1 Treasure Chest

On March 19, 1992, night slowly fell over New York.

In Manhattan, dazzling neon lights pierce the night sky, skyscrapers stand like steel giants, and rivers of light formed by car headlights flow endlessly through the streets.

At Madison Square Garden, a huge Knicks promotional advertisement is displayed on the curved wall.

Tang Bei, carrying a large black travel bag, wandered aimlessly along the street.

His gaze swept blankly across the bustling night scene before him. Although he had only been away for two days, his heart was filled with intense homesickness.

Standing at 2.1 meters tall, with a robust frame and muscular build, his massive physique resembles a moving mountain, exuding immense pressure.

Each step was like wading through mud, carrying the unique composure and strength of a martial artist, seemingly heavy, yet as light as a cat.

His eyes shone like light bulbs, exuding an imposing aura that made people hesitant to look directly at him.

His neat and tidy buzz cut and sharp, angular face gave him an aggressive, masculine aura, making him stand out even in his unfashionable clothes.

The blue cotton coat she was wearing was made by her mother overnight before she left, every stitch filled with deep concern.

The handmade cloth shoes on her feet were brand new, but now they were covered in dust, making her stand out from the fashion and prosperity around her on the streets of New York.

"What should we do?"

Tang Bei's voice was full of frustration, helplessness, anxiety, and confusion.

He was a native of Tianjing, and had been obsessed with martial arts since childhood. He was also exceptionally talented and had a deep understanding of various styles of boxing.

However, the saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" was fully embodied in him.

He didn't practice performance routines. As an adult, the Tai Chi ball he played with weighed hundreds of kilograms, and the large vat he shook weighed over a thousand kilograms. The physical exertion was enormous. His daily diet consisted of twenty or thirty steamed buns and one or two kilograms of meat.

His enormous appetite meant his family had no savings. The whole family worked hard to support his martial arts training, but instead of improving their lives, they incurred a lot of debt.

Despite having mastered solid martial arts skills, in the current environment, these skills are difficult to translate into a means of making a living.

With the reform and opening up, the social atmosphere in China has changed dramatically. No matter what profession you are in, if you can't make money, you will be ridiculed. As a result, he became "Tang the Big Rice Bucket," a laughing stock in the surrounding villages, and even matchmakers were unwilling to visit him.

Three months ago, Chen Bingchu, a fellow townsman who had immigrated to the United States years ago and opened a martial arts school in Chinatown, New York, returned to his hometown to visit relatives. After hearing about his story, he extended an invitation to him, hoping that he could come to the United States to teach boxing, promising to provide him with room and board every month, as well as a salary of six hundred US dollars.

Keep in mind that at that time, a month's salary in Tianjing was at most a little over two hundred yuan. At an exchange rate of 5.7, six hundred US dollars was three thousand five hundred yuan.

This was an opportunity he couldn't miss. His family scraped together more than three thousand yuan for the plane ticket, and Tang Bei embarked on his journey to the United States with great anticipation.

But reality dealt him a heavy blow. He had just gotten off the plane and arrived in Chinatown when he was met with a bolt from the blue—Chen Bingchu had recently died in a car accident, and the Chen Family Martial Arts School had already closed down.

With no job in sight, Tang Bei was suddenly caught in a dilemma.

He only had thirty-five dollars left, not even enough to buy a plane ticket back home, which cost over five hundred dollars.

After much deliberation, he realized that he couldn't go back, so staying in New York was his only option.

But with no skills and no English, how could he possibly survive in this unfamiliar foreign city?
Thinking of his family eagerly hoping that he would make a fortune in America to help them, Tang Bei couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Just then, his stomach rumbled loudly in protest, and a strong feeling of hunger struck.

"Looks like I really am a big glutton."

He hadn't eaten for almost twenty hours, and at that moment he felt like he could swallow a whole cow whole.

"Damn it, Chen Bingchu ruined us."

Starving, Tang Bei plopped down on the side of the street, looking no different from the homeless people you see everywhere on the streets of New York, except that his back was a little more upright.

Two sexy, stockinged legs in high heels walked past him. Tang Bei, who was starving, only glanced at them twice before losing interest. When you're full, you can't think about lust; when you're hungry, all you see is meat.

He subconsciously touched his chest, where an H-1B work visa was kept close to his body.

This was applied for on his behalf by Chen Bingchu before his death. It was for a three-year term, and could be extended for another three years upon expiration, for a total of six years of legal working time.

"Since we can't go back, we'll figure out how to make money here. Am I, a grown man, really going to be suffocated by holding my pee?"

As a martial artist, I have an indomitable spirit in my bones.

The confusion in Tang Bei's heart gradually faded away, replaced by a firm belief, and his fighting spirit was rekindled in his eyes.

"I'll go back to Chinatown. There are more Chinese people there, and it'll be easier to find a job."

After sitting on the street for a few minutes, Tang Bei thought carefully and then resolutely stood up.

Just then, his gaze inadvertently swept over a burger shop not far away. The giant burger displayed in the window caught his eye, his mouth watered, and his stomach growled louder.

Tianjing has seen similar fast food restaurants called McDonald's, but the hamburgers are not this big and the prices are very expensive. I usually can't afford to buy them even if I want to eat them.

"I wonder how much one of these costs in the United States."

Starving, Tang Bei strode toward the hamburger shop. As soon as he reached the door, the fat white shop owner looked at him warily.

"Hey kid, what do you want?"

Under Tang Bei's imposing presence, as the fat man questioned him, his hand had already stealthily reached for the rifle under the counter.

Tang Bei could only understand some simple English, such as "my name is" and "thank you".

Left with no other choice, he threw his travel bag at his feet, pulled out five dollars from his pocket, pointed to the giant hamburger, and held up one finger to indicate that he wanted to buy one.

The fat man lowered his guard only after seeing the banknotes.

He took the five dollars, got two one-dollar coins in change, and then handed over a giant 12-inch (about 30 centimeters) beef burger in a paper bag.

Tang Bei eagerly took the hamburger, took a big bite, and the aroma of bread and beef instantly filled his mouth. He wolfed it down, his hunger slightly relieved, and then took another big bite.

Only then did he look down at the change he had received. Both coins had a prominent "1" printed on them, meaning the hamburger cost three dollars.

"This thing is damn expensive!"

Three US dollars, equivalent to seventeen yuan, is the equivalent of two or three days' wages in Tianjing. He would never have bought such a hamburger if he wasn't starving.

I have $32 left, which is enough to buy 10 more of these hamburgers.

Just then, a dark figure suddenly emerged from the shadows on the side of the street, picked up the travel bag at his feet, and ran away.

Tang Bei took another bite of the hamburger and tripped the black homeless man with his foot. The man screamed and fell to the ground, and Tang Bei caught up with him and stepped on his lower back.

"Shit! Let me go..."

The black man struggled to break free and started cursing.

Tang Bei ignored him and continued eating his hamburger, but gradually increased the pressure on his feet. The black man's waist was under tremendous pressure, and under the pressure of his blood and qi, he was unable to curse.

"roll!"

Only after finishing the hamburger did he kick the black man away. The homeless man, exhausted and powerless from being trampled, fled in panic, tumbling and crawling away.

After eating a giant hamburger weighing nearly a kilogram, Tang Bei, with his enormous appetite, felt it was just enough to fill him up, but he couldn't bear to buy another one.

Just as he was about to leave and return to Chinatown, a burst of enthusiastic cheers came from the street corner.

Curious, he followed the sound and saw a group of young people playing a fierce game on an open-air basketball court by the street.

The thud of the basketball hitting the ground, the shouts of the players, and the cheers of the audience mingled together, creating a vibrant wave.

Tang Bei also played basketball in his spare time from martial arts training, but he never had formal training. When he played, he relied on his natural talent, and no one in the surrounding area could beat him.

Because of the national Olympic system, local areas lack funding. The county sports school used its limited funds for sports like weightlifting, which are easy to achieve results, and cut team sports like basketball and football, which are expensive and difficult to achieve results. Otherwise, he might have joined the sports school's basketball team.

"boom!"

On the court, a Black player with agile movements easily blew past the defender with a crossover, leaped high, and slammed the basketball into the hoop with one hand.

"WOW!"

After succeeding, the player jumped and shouted excitedly.

"Clap clap clap..."

"Great, one more!"

This spectacular scene drew screams and applause from the fans, making the player even more smug.

Tang Bei stood at the very edge of the crowd, his eyes fixed on the court.

Watching the players sweat it out on the field, he seemed to see another possibility for himself.

A few years ago, CCTV broadcast an NBA All-Star game in the United States, which he watched and knew that basketball is a professional sport in the United States and is very popular.

Perhaps, in this country, professional basketball can be the opportunity for him to change his destiny?

Thinking of this, Tang Bei turned around and looked at the huge advertisement.

In that All-Star game he watched, he saw the basketball star who looked like a gorilla in the very center of the advertisement.

"WTF?"

Then he noticed something dirty in the corner of his eye.

Would you like to play basketball?

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a line of gray and white simplified Chinese characters.

What do you mean?

Such an unbelievable event made the hairs on his body stand on end, and he immediately scanned his surroundings with wary eyes.

"Hallucination?"

"seems not."

He stared at the line of text in front of him for a few seconds, not understanding what was going on, but he was certain that there was nothing wrong with his mental state or eyesight.

"willing."

Playing basketball isn't anything strange, and he was actually thinking of switching careers to basketball anyway, so he tentatively said it softly.

"Basketball Treasure Chest activated."

"Hello host, from now on, if you achieve a key milestone in your basketball career, you will randomly receive one treasure."

"The host's basketball skills have been digitized; please check them yourself."

"Newbie gift pack issued: one treasure. Host, please take three steps forward immediately, or you will miss a basketball-related opportunity."

What do you mean?

He was taken aback when he saw the last line of text.

　The renovation of our old house has taken too long, I'm sorry!

　　My first two books flopped, so please, dear readers, support this new book!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)